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Published by The National Herald, December 10, 2004

U.S. Takes Clear Stand In Support of Patriarchate

ANKARA - American Ambassador to Turkey Eric S. Edeleman expressed the United States Government’s support for the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople last Friday, December 3.

Mr. Edelman told Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul that the Patriarchate's integrity as a religious institution should be respected and allowed to function unhampered, given the fact that Ankara disputes the Patriarchate’s ecumenical character.

The Turkish Government rejects the Ecumenical Patriarch’s role as spiritual head of the world’s 250-300 million Orthodox Christians, officially relegating him instead to the role of local religious leader in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul).

The U.S. made it clear that it recognizes the Ecumenical Patriarch as the spiritual leader of Greek Orthodox Church worldwide and reaffirmed its position that the Theology School of Halki should reopen, a development placed within the U.S. framework for the protection of religious freedoms and human rights.

In a meeting with Greek Tourism Minister Demetrais Avramopoulos earlier that week, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his disappointment with the Turkish Government’s unwillingness to proceed equitably with issues concerning the Patriarchate and appealed to Brussels, Ankara and Athens for progress on that front.

During his meeting with Mr. Avramopoulos, the Patriarch stated that no substantial progress has been made, while attacks and anxiety have increased.

The Patriarch expressed regret for the fact that Ankara insists on its refusal to recognize the ecumenical character of the Patriarchate, stressing that he has assured Turkish authorities that there will be no "second Vatican," and that the title has no political content.

It is a historical title that belongs to the Patriarchate and can not be relinquished, he said, underscoring that the Patriarchate will not forego its identity and adding that "we will not be told who we are. We have known who we are for centuries."

The Ecumenical Patriarch also cited a draft report to the Turkish Security Council in which the Theology School of Halki is referred to as a threat.

Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan retorted that a "Turkish citizen can not try to have a title that comes from abroad."

In a meeting with Mr. Erdogan, Mr. Avramopoulos noted a "new architecture" in Greek-Turkish relations which the Greek Government has "an obligation to build" and reiterated that Greece supports Turkey’s European prospects.

A few days later, Turkey tried to play down media reports of a growing rift with the United States, its NATO ally, but it also made clear its irritation with statements made by Washington’s envoy to Ankara.

Mr. Erdogan has sharply criticized U.S. policy in neighboring Iraq and a senior member of his ruling AK party described a recent military offensive against insurgents in Fallujah, Iraq as "genocide," infuriating Washington.

Mr. Edelman then annoyed Mr. Erdogan’s government by referring to Istanbul-based Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of the world’s Orthodox Christians, as the "Ecumenical Patriarch."

"Turkey and the United States have been close allies for more than 50 years and have multi-dimensional relations based on mutual respect and common values," Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said during a regular news briefing this past Wednesday, December 8.

But the statements of "certain diplomats in Turkey" had upset Mr. Gul, Mr. Tan explained, adding that they were "inconsistent with the traditional hospitality accorded by our country to diplomatic representatives." Mr. Tan did not specify which statements or diplomats he had in mind, but was clearly referring to Mr. Edelman’s use of the Patriarch’s "ecumenical" title.

The status of the Patriarchate is highly sensitive in Muslim Turkey. Ankara fears that recognizing the Patriarch’s authority outside Turkey would turn him into a much more powerful figure with real political clout.

The Patriarchate has seen its influence wane steadily as the Greek Orthodox community in Turkey has dwindled.

Only an estimated 3,000 Greeks remain in Constantinople which, for centuries, was capital of the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire until it fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

Turkey is under pressure from the European Union, which it aspires to join, as well as from the United States, to ease restrictions on the Orthodox Church (e.g., by allowing the reopening of a theological seminary off the coast near Istanbul).

Editor’s Note: The above incorporates information from reports posted by the Athens News Agency and a December 8 report posted by Reuters ("Turkey Plays Down Row with U.S. but Chides Envoy"). In the original Reuters report, the Patriarch is referred to as the "nominal head" of the Orthodox Church, while Turkey is said to be "Muslim but secular."



Volume 6 Number 50 - Tuesday, December 14th, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY